Milani Photo Flash Lip Flash Gloss Pencil

Milani Photo Flash Lip Flash Gloss Pencil ($6.49 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “fuchsia with gold and fuchsia shimmer.” I wouldn’t really describe it as fuchsia; it’s more of a pink-tinged red with fuchsia and red micro-glitter. When applied, the color coverage is mostly opaque, and it looks like a really juicy red with just enough translucency to give it that pinky-red coloring. The formula is supposed to be highly pigmented, extra glossy, and contain “moisture-rich” ingredients. It’s not supposed to feather or feel sticky either.

Like Flashy, it yields great color payoff but doesn’t look as glossy as a lipgloss. It looks more like a shiny lipstick to me than a lipgloss, and it feels that way, too. This particular shade wore for just over five hours, but I did notice the grit of the glitter after an hour or so of wear.

Even though I love the way they look and how much color they deliver, I don’t love that noticeable grittiness after an hour of wear. Luckily, the glitter doesn’t travel! You may want to freeze these pencils before sharpening, as their soft, creamy consistency make them harder to sharpen and messier to deal with. You should also expect some waste during the sharpening process if they are at room temperature.

Make Up For Ever #10 Aqua Cream

Make Up For Ever #10 Aqua Cream ($22.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “golden tangerine sheen.” It’s a vibrant orange with golden shimmer-sheen. It’s borderline retina-burning, honestly! It’s approved for use on the lips and cheeks (so not eyes). Whether it’s used more opaque or sheer, it’s a rich color and applies opaque. You would use the teeniest, tiniest bit to get a wash of color for blush or a lip tint. It has a more molten, deeper hue when layered (like the heavier swatch). OCC Banjee is lighter but still bright–it’s the only shade I could think of that came close to being a dupe. A lot of the other orange lipsticks I thought off are darker. Maybelline Fierce & Tangy is much lighter.

Aqua Creams work well on the cheeks as far as wear goes, and lower shimmer shades like #10 add color easily that also sticks around for eight hours or longer. Because it has a softer finish, it doesn’t emphasize pores, so it sits well on the skin. What I really like is that these don’t remain sticky on the cheeks, which many cream blushes do. On the lips, I find this one stains a bit, and again, because the finish has less frost in it, it is not as drying as other Aqua Creams have been for me. It’s not my first choice in lip color, because it’s not hydrating and a bit drying, but it does wear for five to six hours and leaves behind a subtle tint.

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5 Cool Green Eyeshadows to Love

Not so keen on warm-toned greens, of which there are plentiful? There are certainly cooler-toned green eyeshadows to choose from, and here are five of my favorites. When you’re hunting for a cool-toned green, look for buzz words like blue-green, green-blue, forest, green-teal, teal-green, and gray-green; stay away from buzz words like gold, grass, olive, and khaki.